An analysis of the psychological implications of covid-19 pandemic on undergraduate students and efforts on mitigation

Abstract

The whole world is combating the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected mankind in enormous ways. To limit its pervasive expansion, many measures were taken up by the Indian government, as a result of which colleges were closed, and education was imparted through the online mode. The pandemic has induced psychological strain in the minds of students. The present study analyses the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on engineering undergraduates in south India, who are in the age group of 19 to 22. A survey from 365 students was analyzed during the second wave of COVID-19. Data revealed that although there is an overall increased awareness about the outbreak, there is a considerable inclination towards depression, anxiety, and stress in students. Amongst the participants, 116 (31.78%) screened positive for depression, 79 (21.64%) for anxiety, and 53 (14.52%) for stress. Besides, 46 (12.60%) participants had comorbid conditions, with moderate, severe, or extremely severe levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The Center of Excellence in AI&ML at the study center implemented a multilingual chatbot to provide mental health support during the pandemic and deployed the bot in Facebook and Web modes.